Review: American Business Class Amenity Kits for 2019

After several years of minor updates, this year, the American Business Class Amenity kit has changed significantly. Out with Cole Haan, and now in with new and smaller companies branding these products. How do they compare?

My trip in American Airlines business class earlier this year was not provisioned with these newer kits. There is often a rollout period to use up existing stocks. I can review the kits thanks to a contact I have with the company who puts them together. This is a review of the American Airlines business class amenity kit for long-haul flights, branded as “This is Ground.”

Welcome to another installment of our amenity kit review series. As in past reviews, I will be reviewing this amenity kit on a scale from 1 to 5 (being the best) and will rate it based on five categories:

• Bag/container: design, quality and reusability/collectibility of the bag.
• Product: quality, size and variety of the facial and body products.
• Comfort items: eye masks, ear plugs, etc.
• Miscellaneous: pens, tissues and everything else.
• Extras: additional items that make your flight just a tad more comfortable including pajamas, slippers, etc.

American Business Class Amenity Kit

American tends to refresh their amenity kits each year or so. This spring they are rolling out a completely new series of kits across their premium cabins. I’ve already discussed their release announcing these changes, but now I’ve gotten ahold of this kit so I can do a full review. The long-haul (Flagship) business class kits come in 4 color combinations, branded by This is Ground, and contain skincare products by Allies of Skin. If you need more products to pamper your skin, you can try the ones on sites like https://www.sugarbearvitamincare.com/products/sugarbear-procollagen-vitamins-1-month.

This is Ground is a Los Angeles based company making leather goods for tech and travel. The cases are nice, and I far prefer these to the last few version of the Cole Haan kits American has used. Allies of Skin is a Singapore based skincare company. Both companies have coupons in the kits for 20% off their products.

Bag/Container

There are 4 color combinations of the kit container that are available, as shown above. The bags differ slightly, some close with zippers, others have snap closures. While This is Ground typically makes leather products, I don’t think these kits are leather. It’s a decent vinyl, but thankfully doesn’t have an off-putting odor that some fake leather products do. There is a This is Ground logo on the outside, and inside is an American logo and other This is Ground logo embossed. This is pretty small, but with some pouches inside, it seems like it would be nicely functional for reuse, for toiletries or whatever else. Score: 4.

Product

This kit comes with hand lotion, lip balm, and mouthwash. The mouthwash is appreciated, especially since it is in a bottle, rather than a flimsy plastic cup as in past kits. Lotion and lip balm are the minimum of what I would expect in a kit, but the Allies of Skin products seem nice enough. The lotion has a pretty mild scent I would describe as citrus. Score: 3

Comfort Items

Nothing out of the ordinary here. Very thin polyester socks that barely cover my ankles when pulled up. The eye mask has an elastic strap, and the only thing noteworthy about it is that it seems large, so probably would block out light well, which is the point. Score: 3

Miscellaneous Items

Travel toothbrush, and a 0.85 oz (i.e. not tiny) tube of Crest toothpaste. 3M 1100 earplugs are included as well, along with a small packet of tissues. There is a pen, although it is Aviator branded for the co-brand credit card. Sigh. Score: 3

Extras

Nothing else included here on most flights, although flights to Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand also get Casper pajamas for business class passengers. . Score: 3

Final thoughts on the American Business Class Amenity kit

This amenity kit is a definitely improvement on what American has offered recently. The case is a huge improvement, and the products offered are not expansive, but are good quality. By averaging the scores, I rate this kit 3.2

Have you received a This is Ground kit on an American Business Class flight? Please let us know what you think.

Other Amenity Kit Reviews

• Japan Airlines First Class
• ANA First Class
• British Airways First Class
• Virgin Atlantic Upper Class
• Qantas First Class
• Thai Airways First Class (Rimowa 2014)
• Japan Airlines Business Class
• Lufthansa First Class (Escada)
• Cathay Pacific Business Class (new Seventy-Eight Percent)
• United Airlines BusinessFirst (Cowshed Kit)
• United Airlines BusinessFirst
• American Airlines Transcon First Class (Reno Air Heritage Series)
• United Airlines BusinessFirst (new TEAM USA kit)
• Lufthansa Business Class (Bree)
• Etihad Business Class (LUXE)
• Qatar Airways Economy Class
• American Airlines Business Class (Cole Haan 2016)
• American Airlnes Business Class (Cole Haan 2017)
• Austrian Airlines Business Class
• Delta One Domestic Tumi
• Air France La Premiére
• Qantas First Class Martin Grant
• American Airlines Business Class (Cole Haan 2018)
• Lufthansa Business Class (Reisenthel 2018)
• Swiss Business Class (Victorinox 2018)